Adv Club - Scout Mountain Ultra

My name is Dillon, I started my fitness journey 3 years ago after my brother-in-law died by suicide. That was the moment I decided it was time for some change. I was determined to do everything in my power to live a long and fulfilling life for my family. Just a few short months later, I was approached by a group of strange men who called themselves F3. They invited me out for a run. Me; being an overweight young parent, not afraid of embarrassing myself, agreed. My first “run” was a three miler, the most humbling experience of my life. Looking back on this journey makes me incredibly proud. Proud of the progression. Proud of the grit. Proud of the life I choose to live everyday in honor of Nolan. In the last 3 years with F3, I've lost 60+ pounds and gained so much purpose. 
Once a year our wives allow us to escape the responsibilities of the world and go have some fun together. Our meaning of the word “fun” seems to be much different than most people. We began planning by searching for the most beautiful places in the world, find a race or big mountain to explore, and pick some side quests for funsies. This year brought us to Pocatello ID for the Scout Mountain Ultras which checked all of our "fun" boxes. The race had 24 mile, 36 mile, 50 mile, and 100 mile options. For most of us, 36 was just the challenge we needed. On race day we hopped on the shuttle at 5am to take us to the start line before our 6am start. 
We quickly gained a reputation as “the Charlotte guys” with all our matching HPM nerd cluster shirts. The race starts and we’re all instantly humbled. Our eight hour goal suddenly became more like nine… and for some, ten. We all had the ultimate goal of just finishing, DNF is not an option. The elevation took us for all we had, but in the end, we definitely did that thang. Upon crossing the finish line I was greeted with a hug from the race director, Luke. Got a mediocre Idaho baked potato that I had been dreaming about for the prior ten hours. Then was  guided to a glorious chair. In the midst of all the “congratulations” and “how you feelings?” I couldn't help but pause to take it all in. Just three years ago I could barely run 3 miles, yet now here I am, a finisher of a 36 mile race through the mountains of Idaho. Your body is capable of so much more than you know. I owe it all to those strange men from F3 who invited the fat guy out for a run. Good stuff! 

Stats and Snippets

  • The guys - Popcorn, PitStop, Slingshot, ChillyWilly, Mr. Holland, Enron, CherryBomb, Cobra, and yours truly Ichabod
  • Scout Mountain Ultras 36 miler
  • 7,400+ feet of elevation gain
  • 10+ hours of “running”
  • More than enough “that’s what she said” jokes